Entering the meetings, the Red Sox did have a few legitimate questions to answer. They saw outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury and catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia depart via free agency to the New York Yankees and Miami Marlins respectively.

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Re-signing Mike Napoli was at the heart of Boston's offseason priorities.

The team was also concerned about first baseman Mike Napoli and shortstop Stephen Drew also following suit.

Boston answered one of those primary questions by re-signing Napoli to a two-year, $32 million contract which keeps his services in the Red Sox's lineup through 2015.

Abraham points out that the Red Sox can be diligent when it comes to deciding whether or not they want to bring Drew back. The development of XanderBogaerts has given the flexibility for Boston's front office in deciding this.

If Drew leaves, Bogaerts can shift to shortstop and Will Middlebrooks can handle third base.

The Red Sox also solved their catching dilemma by signing veteran A.J. Pierzynski to a one-year, $8.25 million contract.

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The Red Sox solved their catching needs by signing A.J. Pierzynski to a one-year deal.

There remains the question of what to do about Boston's outfield situation.

With Ellsbury gone, the door is open for Jackie Bradley Jr. to take over the starting role. Bradley, who saw limited playing time in 2013, may receive the job by default unless the Red Sox opt to make another addition in the outfield.

It kind of looks like it's similar to what we thought it was last winter—maybe not in the exact same order, but competitive, flat and a bunch of teams with a chance to win. Who knows how it plays out, but that's how we thought it was last winter, and it kind of looks that's the way it will be again.

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Cherington did not see the need to be as active at the 2013 winter meetings.

Last winter, Boston was active. This winter, they were not as much.

What Cherington has done is good so far. The team re-signed Napoli, which was a major priority. They also solved their catching situation at least for another year.

Perhaps one, or more, of those starters gets moved in a deal that is yet to transpire.

In the meantime, how should we evaluate Cherington's actions during the winter meetings?

It is obvious that the Red Sox were unable to negotiate any significant deals like they were able to in previous years. In all likelihood, the nature of these deals was not to Cherington's liking and it is hard to fault him for being prudent.

Thus, staying quiet can be viewed as an bonus.

In short, the Red Sox appear confident in the team's abilities to carry over a championship-caliber club into 2014. They are content with their roster and, more importantly, content with their options and how the market shapes up in coming months.

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Cherington will hope the 2014 Red Sox will be able to back up their 2013 championship.

That should also be viewed as a bonus.

As a result, Cherington and the Red Sox front office receive a B-grade for its efforts at the winter meetings.

Could they have made a deal to improve this team for 2014? Absolutely. Would it have been the right deal? That is much more difficult to evaluate.

In this case, Cherington took action via inaction. The team solved its most pressing needs and that should be commended.